Russian ship collision leaves four dead, 46 injured

Rescuers work at the collision site in Omsk region, Russia, Aug. 17, 2013. Four people were killed and 46 others were injured when a passenger ship collided Saturday with a barge in Russia's Omsk region, the Emergency Situations Ministry said. (Xinhua/RIA Novosti)

MOSCOW, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and 46 others were injured when a passenger ship collided Saturday with a barge in Russia's Omsk region, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

The accident occurred on the Irtysh River in the Leninsky district of Omsk at 10:55 a.m. Moscow time (0655 GMT). "There were 56 passengers and four crewmembers on board the ship," ministry spokesperson Irina Rossius told the Interfax news agency.

The ship was holed after the collision. Fourteen people, including two babies, were in serious conditions, Rossius said, adding that the ministry would fly them to Moscow on Sunday.

The Transport Ministry said in a statement that the collision could have possibly happened after the passenger ship deviated from its course.

"Preliminary findings indicate that the collision happened due to the Polesye-8 ship's deviation from its course," it said.

The Interior Ministry's local branch said "the helmsman was steering the ship while intoxicated."

Meanwhile, an unnamed source with Omsk regional technical oversight agency told Interfax that a violation of navigation rules by one of the crew or a mechanical failure could have been the cause of accident.

"The collision happened (while the vessels were moving) at full speed, and it has not been determined which crew violated rules," the source said.